4th July 2009
Wheelie good fun
The Welsh Hockey Union and hockey clubs in North Wales are linking up to stage a ‘long way round' style cycle tour; this epic journey aims to promote Hockey in the Region. Starting at Tywyn on Tuesday 30th June at 10am, Matt James the National Development Manager and Mike Leatt the CEO, will receive a send off from current Primary School Activate winners at Penybryn School (and the Cambrian News). The dynamic duo (Charlie and Ewan Who?), supported by star Activator Jamie Hooper, will push on to Blaenau for an evenings hockey with Wales's newest junior club, then over the mountain pass to the Colwyn Bay Performance Development Centre for Wednesday evening Thursday evening will find them at Wrexham for the NE Wales Performance Development Centre and home of the forthcoming EuroNations Trophy (1-8 August).
Friday's leg takes the cycle team down to Newtown and the Primary School Activate finals to join up with Olympian Sarah Thomas and International GK Lee Ible, before making their way over to Dysynni for their Awards night and then U11's coaching on Saturday morning. Finally the cyclists make their way back to Newtown for the WHU AGM on Sunday 5th July. Senior Activator John Elliott is setting up the activity and you will be able to follow their progress here.
A great send off
U11 Dysynni Hockey players with Mike Leatt and Matt James
Day 1 - Tuesday 30th June
AM: Matt and Mike left Ysgol Penybryn at 10:30am with a rousing send-off from the current Activate champions, strongly supported by Dysynni Hockey Club, in particular Adrian and Linda Bennett. The school are gearing up to participate in this year's Activate Primary Schools Finals in Newtown this coming Friday, and will be looking to retain their title. The children were very excited to hear that Sarah Thomas, Welsh Hockey's Beijing Olympian, would be present at the finals, and are equally excited to see the men's national team compete at the Euro Nations Trophy later this year, held in Wrexham (1st - 8th August).
PM: Matt and Mike headed for Blaenau Ffestiniog along the coast road with stunning views across the Irish channel over the beautiful beaches of Harlech and Barmouth, arriving in Blaenau in the late afternoon after stopping at numerous tea shops and for record breaking puncture repairs, at the hands of Matt James. They then travelled over to Porthmadog to watch the ladies home team play the newly formed Blaenau Ffestiniog ladies club. The game was very evenly matched, and of a fast, high pace, with Blaenau coming out on top 5-3. It was very encouraging to see so much enthusiasm and future talent in a brand new club, seeming already to be inundated with players. Heres hoping the club can only increase in size and develop more and more ladies and men, of all ages, into established hockey players.
Tomorrow Matt and Mike head for Colwyn Bay, where they will attend the Performance Development Centre.
Dancing in the rain!
Welsh International Goalkeeper Lee Ible giving some tips!
Day 2 - Wednesday 1st July
Matt and Mike narrowly managed to miss the rain again on their journey from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Colwyn Bay. Matt James, Mike Leatt, Jamie Hooper and Chris Marriott headed to the Colwyn Bay PDC that evening to meet up with Head Coach and Regional Academy Coach Steve Edwards, and other coaches from Colwyn Bay Hockey Club; Rob Williams, PDC Co-ordinator, and Bret Maddon, Assistant PDC Coach to lend a hand, and further promote the EuroNations, 1st-8th August at Glyndwr University. With an 80 strong register, and children attending from all over North Wales, even as far as Porthmadog, Pwllheli, and Blaenau, despite the thunder and rain, the help was definitely welcome. Lee Ible, Welsh International GK and North East Wales Sports Devlopment Officer, also came down to the PDC to promote the Senior Welsh men's team coaching session open to all ages and abilities on the 12th July, so that attendees can gain an insight into the workings of an international team, and train with and be coached by the best players in Wales. He also mentioned the Wrexham hockey and basketball summer camp 18th - 21st of August. Matt James presented PDC coaches Rob and Bret with Welsh Hockey Union jackets and all the youngsters with Euronations t-shirts.
The meeting held at the Colwyn Bay Cricket Club was to discuss and consider the developing 'Single Player Pathway' engineered by Welsh Hockey's Chris Marriott and North Wales Hockey Association chairman, Jon Upton. The plan is to develop more performance development centres (PDC) that will feed into Regional Academies (RA) and further into National Age Group Squads (NAGS). Along this player pathway there will also be opportunites to produce more coaches in Wales as well as other important roles such as potential managers or even umpires.
Tomorrow Matt and Mike move on Wrexham, where they will attend the PDC on Thursday evening.
Day 3 - Thursday 2nd July
Matt and Mike cycled along the North Wales coast from Colwyn Bay to Rhyl, before heading inland and down to Wrexham. Here they attended the Wrexham PDC, one of the first to be set up in Wales in April 2008 along with Colwyn Bay and Whitchurch. The Wrexham centre is headed up by Pat Sharples, assisted by her daughter Delydd, Northop Hall Hockey Club coach Jon Upton, and Wrexham Hockey Club coaches Erica Swann as well as a number of others. It was great to see a promising high standard of hockey at such a young age of 14 and under. Some of the children present at the PDC will be playing in the Activate finals in Newtown tomorrow, which Matt and Mike will also be attending, along with Wales' only member of the Great Britain squad, and attendee at the Beijing Olympics 2008, Sarah Thomas. After this, Matt and Mike will travel down to Dysynni Hockey Club, where they started their journey, in order to attend both the clubs junior and senior presentation ceremonies.
All photos (above): Day 3, Wrexham PDC
Day 4 - Friday 3rd July
Matt and Mike made the last leg of their journey down from Wrexham to the Activate finals venue in Newtown. They arrived in good spirits looking forward to watching a great standard of hockey from the best primary school hockey teams in Wales. Present along with them were two international players, Lee Ible, Welsh senior men's GK and Sarah Thomas, Beijing Olympian, who were both very busy signing everything from shoes to sticks. Thoughout the day, the standard of hockey increased with the presence of the sun. A great day in great conditions eventually saw Llantaes Primary School emerge as the new Welsh champions. With Rougemont narrowly missing out in second place, defending champions Pen-Y-Bryn slipping into third and Severn into fourth. Cwncarn finished fifth, Templeton sixth, Bryn Couen seventh, Plasnewydd eighth, Llanfair Caereinion ninth, Tycroes tenth, and Plas Crug eleventh. A huge thank you must go out to Powys Hockey Development Officer and organiser of the event Katie Hamer.
After the finals, Matt and Mike caught a well deserved lift back to Tywyn where they began their tour to attend the junior end of season presentation and give out some awards. Following this, they attended the senior presentation evening to again give out awards and work out a different way on the dance floor.
Matt and Mike will travel home tomorrow but will be back up in Newtown on Sunday evening for the Welsh Hockey Union's AGM.
HDO Katie Hamer coordinating the youngsters
The intrepid two hitching up